


Ever Onwards, Regardless

by kirigaku



Series: Before Mor Dhona: Journey to the West [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Hope is a precious resource!, I really do wish there was more Thavnair lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:22:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26371126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirigaku/pseuds/kirigaku
Summary: Yugiri Mistwalker has led the Doman refugees far from home, all the way to Thavnair in search of asylum for her people.Morale on the makeshift refugee fleet collapses when the Hannish people close the gates to their shining desert port city, leaving her people one but option: brave an even longer journey to Eorzea.My entry for the eighth prompt of the #FFXIVWrite2020 / #FFXIVWrite challenge, with "Clamor" being the word of the day.
Series: Before Mor Dhona: Journey to the West [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916425
Kudos: 4
Collections: #FFxivWrite2020 Final Fantasy 30 Day Writing Challenge





	Ever Onwards, Regardless

With a defeated sigh, Yugiri Mistwalker turned her back to the great gates of Radz-at-Han. The desert city and its shining walls towered over its sandswept isle, and its people rich beyond imagination. For with its position at the crossroads between the western continent of Aldenard, the Imperial territories of Ilsabard, and Far East Othard, the city served to connect every trade lane worth travelling between the Three Great Continents. Neither bowing to Garlemald nor aligning with Eorzea, Radz-at-Han admitted ships and traders from all nations.

All save for the Domans, who for four weeks sailed west to escape the destruction of the country by the unstoppable march of the Garlean Empire. The Hannish state, however, closed the gates of their shining city to the Doman refugees. Fearful of provoking the Empire’s wrath and wary of refugees tarnishing their streets with crime and poverty, Radz-at-Han rejected the Domans’ request for asylum. 

Countless days carefully rationing supplies, evading Imperial naval patrols, and braving the wind and cresting waves raised by ocean storms, all for naught. Yugiri expected Hingashi to turn her people away, but Radz-at-Han’s answer was a shock to the Raen. The Thavnairians commanded a more secure diplomatic relationship with Garlemald, and did not have the same isolationist streak as the Hingans. But alas, Thavnair was closed to them, and the only recourse left for the Doman exiles was endless malms of open sea.

With the taste of her desperate, pleading negotiations lingering bitterly in her mouth, Yugiri fought back the tears beginning to well in her eyes as she ascended the boarding ramp to the _Ganen the Great_ , the ex-trade vessel that served as her flagship. As leader of the exiled Domans she would have to face her illness-ridden and malnourished charges, and she intended to at least give them a dignified face to inspire them towards what little hope of safety they still had left.

And give her people a dignified, honest evaluation of their situation she did. Yugiri explained the declarations of the Thavnairans, causing the people huddled on the decks to hear her announcement to wail defeated, lashing out in anger. And finally, with a stone in her heart, she gave them their only option forward: a path that even Yugiri could not place any reasonable hope of success with.

“Thavnair will not allow us entry; any Domans who try to remain will be turned over to the Garlean Embassy, as we are considered subjects of the Empire. Our only option for succor now is with the distant city-states of the Eorzean Alliance. We must consolidate every single onze of food, freshwater, and other supplies we have, and chart a course West.”

Faced with this cruel reality, the refugees began objecting, and shouting amongst each other.

One hoarse woman’s voice cried out, “They couldn’t do that! How could they resign us... nay, the children among us, to such a fate? We must get them to reconsider!”  
Another man coughed and sputtered before shouting. “We barely had enough supplies in our holds to reach Thavnair! Lady Yugiri-” he coughed again. “Lady Yugiri, how could you possibly expect us to survive an even _longer_ journey to the west? Yer orderin’ us to sail to our deaths!”

A cacophony of voices cried out, some in agreement with the coughing man, and others shouting him down.

A weak, shrill voice pierced through the shouting and arguments. Lost to most of the panicking people, but not to Yugiri, whose trained hearing caught far too much for her own good. “Papa, what’s happening? I’m scared… you said we could leave the boat soon…”

Sensing she was quickly losing control of the situation, Yugiri raised her voice, trying to regain command on her podium. “While the government of Thavnair has refused to aid us, our story has touched the hearts of several merchants, who have privately pledged to donate several barrels of foodstuffs and other goods for our journey. Moreover, we have been passed manuals of fishing techniques suited to the seas we shall be sailing.” This, at least, was true; one particularly daring good samaritan even secretly passed her several Hannish maritime ensigns to disguise their ships as neutral trade vessels.

Knowing that one instance of goodwill among a handful of merchants would hardly sustain them on the path to Eorzea, she followed this with her honest plans. “From there, I shall personally lead my shinobi to infiltrate ports near Ilsabard and capture any Imperial naval vessels of opportunity. I shall do what I must to ensure all of you survive to see the shores of Eorzea.”

“You want us to become pirates?”, an elderly voice croaked.

“N-no! You’re speaking nonsense now!”

Yugiri recognized that voice. A young man named Wei, who lost his own father to illness three weeks into their voyage.

“It’s not possible… it’s not! It’s a bloody miracle we even made it this far! We left Yanxia with twenty ships! Twenty! And now… now there’s but seven left. Do you truly have faith that these overcrowded, leaky corks can carry us to the western edge of the… t-the...” He began sobbing, unable to go on.

Yugiri shook her head. The deck of the _Ganen the Great_ was beginning to grow silent, but not out of respect or steely resolve. A dark cloud of silence and sobbing, hopeless, resignation choked the crowd of exiles.

For the first time since taking command of the Domans’ voyage in search of succor, Yugiri Mistwalker was at a loss for words, unable to muster any ounce of strength or confidence. And for the first time, she turned to buoy her words with something she never wanted to turn to.

The shinobi slid a hand into her pack, and retrieved a heavy item of considerable bulk, holding it up against the light of a swaying lantern. The flicker of the oil lamp reflected against the white scales upon her arm, as well as the brilliant green jade and gold ornamentation of the stone seal in her hand.

The Royal Seal of Doma, passed from Lord Kaien to Prince Hien when the King went to battle against the Garleans, then from Hien to Yugiri once the young Prince had ordered the evacuation. The seal, per Doman tradition, gave its wielder the voice of Clan Rijin and authority over Doma itself.

Yugiri’s voice grew shaky, for she had little faith that respect for tradition nor a beautiful, yet useless rock could save the hopes of her people now. She had even tried to trade the precious item for supplies or concessions in Thavnair, but was rejected.

“We… we have arrived at our darkest hour. This is the truth. But there is nowhere left to go but forward, to the open seas and Eorzea. If you wish to take your chances here in Thavnair, I shall not stop anyone. But know the risk you take if you get caught. After the Empire razed our homes in Yanxia, I would not place hopes that the Imperial Embassy will be more merciful.”

She held the seal high. “Lord Hien wanted us - the people of Doma, his people, to find a place we could be free of the Imperial yoke. Even should Yanxia be reduced to scorched earth and rubble, the ways and dreams of our nation must live on through us.”

A tear streamed down her eye, for even a shinobi of steel will and cold blood could not be unfazed anymore. “My lord believed in me, and I can only ask that you continue to place that same trust in me. With every last ounce of power and dedication I have, I shall have us all delivered to the shores of a new home.”

There were a handful of cheers from the most optimistic, but the crowd remained largely silent. Morale was perhaps the lowest it could be, and it would take a true miracle to change that.

“Heaven may conspire against us. The seas may churn and lash at our sails. But we must succeed. We must fight on. There is nowhere else to go but west. There shall be many obstacles before us… countless trials... but we must tread ever onwards, regardless.”


End file.
